Who they are
Born in Chernivtsi in 1986 and brought to Israel at five, Rif grew up in Netanya. She served as an officer in military intelligence, took her degrees at the Hebrew University as a State Service cadet, and graduated the Sam Spiegel film school as a screenwriter. She co-founded the Cultural Brigade, which brought Novy God into the Israeli mainstream, and is a poet whose first collection won the Matanel Prize.
Positions and record
Aliyah and absorption: Wants the ulpanim upgraded and employment opened up, and leads the party's absorption platform.
Marriage and status: Campaigns so that the children of Soviet-origin Israelis can marry in Israel, against the Jewishness-status bar affecting hundreds of thousands.
Dignity and bureaucracy: Says she will work so the parents' generation can retire with dignity, fight racism, and cut unnecessary bureaucracy.
Where they stand
Breaks with the party line on 1 issue, marked below.
Judea & Samariaparty lineNo Palestinian state. Eisenkot has never supported establishing one, and opposition is the only line he has taken on the question.
Two states / withdrawalSovereignty / annexation
Gaza & Securityparty lineA new security doctrine, and an alternative government in Gaza on Israel's terms. Eisenkot pressed for the Rafah operation as leverage for a hostage deal.
Deal & disengagementFull military control
Haredi Enlistmentparty lineEveryone is summoned, the army first and civilian service otherwise, with prosecution for evaders. Up to 3 per cent of each intake may defer a year for Torah study.
Universal draftPreserve exemptions
Judiciaryparty lineA judiciary that is strong, independent and accountable, a Knesset that is sovereign, and a Basic Law: Legislation strengthening the Knesset's own authority.
Court can strike lawsKnesset can override
Economyparty lineWork should always pay more than a benefit, and benefits should follow need rather than sector. Break the concentration groups and open parallel imports.
Social spendingFree market
Educationparty lineCore studies are the condition for full public funding, with a national council setting the core, while budget and authority devolve to town halls and to heads.
State runs the schoolsParents and communities
Religion & Statepersonal positionFounded and leads the Lobby of the Million, which calls for recognizing non-Orthodox conversions and marriage paths outside the Rabbinate for the ~350,000 Russian-speaking Israelis barred from marrying here -- well past the party's general "Jewish and democratic" line.
Civil / pluralistReligious authority
Nation & Citizenshipparty lineA solid Jewish majority for generations, set beside equal rights, equal duties and equal opportunity for every Israeli, with minority rights named explicitly.
Equal citizenshipJewish national state
